BMW Looks Back At Its Motorsport Legends

These beautiful classics still get driven properly.

In October last year, the BMW M2 Cup took place at Bavaria's Norisring. BMW took the opportunity to display a number of its motorsport icons at the event, both in stationary exhibits as part of a paddock that visitors could view and on the track. BMW Group Classic's YouTube channel has now posted a short recap video that shows some of these prolific performance cars and their motorsport highlights. Of course, BMW took the opportunity to show its astonishingM5 CStoo, but with both classic race cars and their helmsmen stealing the limelight, we barely even noticed.

BMW Group Classic/YouTube

The first car is the one affectionately known as the Batmobile, theinimitable BMW 3.0 CSL from 1973. This was the first BMW to wear the M stripes. We also get a look at the Group 4 BMW M1 that Prince Leopold of Bavaria campaigned at Le Mans with his teammates in 1981. In Group 5 spec, this thingcould develop as much as 1,000 horsepower. Watching His Royal Highness reminisce on his racing in this car has to be the highlight of the video, and the M1 still looks as fantastic as it did all those years ago. The prince comments on how taken aback and fascinated all the racegoers and journalists were when they saw this for the first time, and we can't help but note that the internet's abundance of spy shots, rumors, and leaked information have killed the surprise that one would get when seeing an all-new car for the first time. But back to the classics of yesteryear.

BMW Group Classic/YouTube

Another high-horsepower BMW-powered icon is the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail that produced in the region of 600 hp and isworth tens of millions today. Spectators were lucky enough to hear the V12 sing with DTM legend Johnny Cecotto behind the wheel, although he shows some mechanical sympathy and says that he does "take care" of putting the pedal down. Finally, the BMW Z4 GT3 that former F1 driver Timo Glock and his teammates campaigned at Spa in 2015 was also on show.

Looking back at these beautiful motorsport classics reminds us just how successful BMW has been, but willthe modern GT3and GT4 racers ever be celebrated as much? We think you know the answer.